djmano

a few notes about the clutch bleed, i have a brand new 2012 GS and today at ~3700k miles checked the clutch fluid and it was dirty, i should have taken a picture but it was pretty black. there wasn't much sediment left in the reservoir but it definitely didn't look good.

the funny thing is the salesman who sold me the car told me when he was doing the pre-delivery thing that the clutch fluid would turn dirty soon but that 'it was normal' and 'no need to worry.' i didn't really pay attention as i wanted him to hurry and shut up so i could drive my new c6 home but his words came to mind after discovering the whole ranger clutch thing.

i bought the mixmator thing from wally world for a few bucks, very easy to find. harder was finding prestone dot 4....it seems like no one carries it anymore, i luckily found it at lowes. im guessing that the demand for a DOT 4 brake fluid isn't very high so the stores aren't stocking them anymore. if you go to lowes just ask them where the motor oil is and it should be there. don't go to the automotive detailing section.

as far as how the clutch pedal behaves, im not sure if i notice anything different, the reassuring 'snick-snack' of the gears sounds more positive but that could be mental. every gear engagement felt very solid.

i did the procedure about 4-5 times....it was never crystal clear but i felt like more successive bleeds wouldn't do very much and i was getting tired of pumping the clutch pedal 5 million times.

Snake.Oiler

keep doing it until it is clear. It will get there.

Wally world sells DOT 4 brake fluid, did you not see any there?

Gerdia

I did mine about 4 times before it became clear. I definitely felt a difference on the clutch, mine was smoother after the fluid swap. I now do it every 1-2 months.

Delbert

Yep.....same here and got the same result. I also buy my Prestone DOT4 at Wal Mart. They are loaded with it.

Wayne O

Just because the clutch fluid appears dark or 'dirty' doesn't necessarily mean there's anything wrong with it. That said I believe fresh, clean fluids are preferable to old, 'dirty' fluids. The first time I did the so-called Ranger Method I cycled fluid out and in probably 20 times before I felt it was clean. After the first time, if you do it more frequently it doesn't take near as many cycles for the fluid to become clear. I doubt you'll notice any difference in clutch 'feel' but as a preventative maintenance procedure IMO it's worthwhile to do...and do often. I use Motul 600 fluid both for the brakes and clutch but Prestone fluid is fine. Where I live I see Prestone fluids for sale just about everywhere.

JCtx

Mine was dirty with 9 miles on the clock. Swapped it at the reservoir for now, but will bleed it properly (at the slave) at the first oil change, along with diff and tranny oils. Hope it's like my ex-GTO. A PITA, but doable by myself.

sjohnson2615

What is a "ranger" fluid ?

AORoads

this thread will bring you many hours of enjoyable reading, and you'll find "The Ranger Method for Exchanging Clutch Fluid."

(it's at the top of C6 Gen, above the red line)

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...questions.html

crazyeddie

I just had mine done at the dealer. Looks like he removed some of the exhaust system and some heat shields around the torque tube. He showed me how labor intensive it was. We talked a bit about the turkey baster method and he assured me that he was getting all the old fluid out. The clutch feels great. This was not a cheap procedure, but I don't mind spending some cash on these kinds of preventive measures. He also changed the brake fluid and mounted my new Michelin A/S runflats. I'm lucky that I have a service advisor and Corvette Technician that I have 100% confidence in.--eddie

truckplay

I flush mine about once every 3 months. After I got it clean the first time it stayed clean. I buy Dot4 at Napa.

cclive

I drain and refill the reservoir a few times a year. Rather than pump the clutch pedal a million times in the garage, I let the normal driving of the car mix the new fluid. To me, it seems like sitting in the garage pumping the clutch pedal is just needless wear on the system, unless the car is never actually driven enough to mix the fluid.

JKbride

Just did mine a week ago. Took about 5 cycles of removing and refilling before it stayed clear.

I have since driven the car about 200 miles and plan to go a few more cycles fr removal/refill over the next few weeks to ensure system is well purged of old fluid.



Purchsed my DOT 4 at WalMart for about $3.

djmano

1. im sure we would all bleed @ the slave and not use the ranger method if it wasn't so labor intensive. i dont have a lift and it would take probably half the day to remove the exhaust and all related parts using hand tools.

2. you have to pump the pedal in the garage with the car off to cycle the fluid. otherwise you'd have to replace the fluid one time, drive, then replace fluid again and drive. i guess that'd work if the fluid was clean after one flush but as you can see many board members flush the fluid as many as 20 times.

3. i only checked one physical wally world location but the online inventory system said that there was no prestone DOT 4 in stock at any store within ~20 mile radius of my zip code and im pretty sure its correct b/c the wally world i bought my mixmator turkey baster thing did not have it in stock. im almost certain that local stores are not stocking it because no one is buying it. they have plenty of DOT 3 because every average car can use that. i also checked autozone, napa, albeit only through online inventory checks but they also said they had none available and that it could not even be ordered which is why i went to Lowes.

laconiajack

Why not just follow the recommended maintenance schedule recommended by GM for changing the brake fluid?

MikeyTX

Because that's too easy for most ! Btw, I agree with you. If it ain't broke................ don't fix it !

djmano

because im **** and i love my corvette more than anything else in the world. duh.

tjl5709

Instead of drain, filling, pumping, drain, fill , pumping etc, etc, etc, ....


You might try this....


http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...er-method.html

EDinPA

Probably because this is the clutch system. Not much clutch dust in the brake lines.

KneeDragr

Because they are talking about clutch fluid. Geez.

NVNO1

Can't find dot 4 anywhere in town. checked walmart, auto zone, car quest, pep boys, napa and orally auto parts.
there seems to be plenty of Prestone dot 3 synthetic. Will this be good enough or should I try to order dot 4 on line???